Tired of looking for the remote every time you plan to watch TV? Or want to get rid of the extra table clutter fused by your TV remote, DVD player, gaming console, cable, and smart devices? A simple solution is turning all these devices into one. Yes, you read it right. You can clean up that extra mess and never have to frustrate yourself with finding your remote control ever again if you simply use your mobile phone to control your TV.
Get ready to binge-watch your favorite shows and watch as many streaming sites as you want to with the ease of controlling your TV with your smartphone. We are going to share a few tricks on how to use your phone as a TV remote and control all your streaming devices, before that make sure you’re connected to an amazing provider that offers the best TV packages and plans so you don’t miss out on anything new. A good example of such a plan is Spectrum TV Select that is offering a wide range of 125+ channels with free HD and several on-demand movies and TV show titles so you never run out of options while watching TV and get the best TV experience.
Here is a list of life hacks on how to make the best use of your smartphone over a lost or broken TV remote:
Use the Manufacturer remote apps
There are a few manufacturer apps you can use to turn your phone into a remote. App Store or Google Play will give you easy access to these manufacturer TV remote apps. However android smartphones are easier to turn into a universal remote.
Big brands like LG, Samsung, Sony, and TLC may have their suitable apps. In that case, you need to have your TV and phone be of the same brand and chances are that if you have a smart TV, there is an application through which you can easily turn your phone into a remote.
These apps work over Wi-Fi and are compatible with most major TV manufacturers. They work by detecting your TV automatically reducing the setup time. In some cases apps designed by single manufacture allow you to connect with multiple TVs in the same household through simple labels such as living room TV or bedroom TV etc.
TV remote apps are easy to install, easy to use, absolutely free, and quick fix to all your regular remote control problems.
Streaming devices apps are the real lifesavers
Streaming devices apps make it so much easier to navigate your TV with your smartphone. You can use these devices to make browsing a lot easier with devices that you already own. Amazon Fire TV stick, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast all have compatible apps that work well together along with apps from third-party that interact with these systems.
With the Google Home app you can control apps through Chromecast, in addition to that, it can control Google Nest i.e. Google’s family of smart home devices. This system alone is a hub to manage all your TVs, security cameras, lights, doors, thermostats, and a lot more.
The Amazon Fire TV app is available on both Android as well as iOS that lets you connect to your TV and access your remote directly from the app. The Roku app has a built-in remote control too that connects to your device using a Wi-Fi connection and lets you search with your voice as well as your smartphone’s keyboard.
Use built-in IR Blaster
An Infrared blaster or IR blaster is hardware that enables the device to send commands using your phone through infrared signals or rays to control other devices such as TV, stereo, set-top box, or DVD that are best compatible with IR remotes. This one thing can turn your android smartphone into a universal TV remote to control TVs in your house.
IR blasters cannot be installed or downloaded so you only have it if your phone comes with a built-in one. And if you’re lucky enough to have it you can simply start by installing an app that has its compatibility, with the Play Store. To check if your phone has the IR blaster go to Google Play on your device, search for IR test, and click on the ‘install’ option. It will only take a minute or two to install. Once it is installed, it will analyze your device to check if you have an IR blaster on your device or not.
Use the Universal TV remote app
The universal TV remote is also known as Unified remote is available for Android as well as iOS devices. These apps work over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to connect to your TV or phone and become a remote control to work for any app on it. It usually works with Windows, Linus ad macOS.
Universal TV remote apps will not necessarily work with all televisions however to choose the best remote control app that works perfectly for your Televisions and one can start by picking the one with good reviews on Play Store. Install it and operate your TV and smart home devices, set-top boxes, and many more with these remote control apps.
Wrapping it up:
By now you know exactly what to do if you have lost your remote control or broken it. Simply turn your smartphone into one and step up with your comfort one. No need to leave the couch to reach that remote control kept on the TV shelf, just open the TV remote app from your phone and get started.